Watch panel discuss the future of technology supply chains, decoupling, and what the implications might be for New Zealand firms.
Jordan Small
Executive Director, NZUS Council
COVID-19 has exposed supply chain vulnerabilities and increased our reliance on technology.
The U.S. Senate passed industrial policy legislation aimed at boosting the U.S. ability to compete with Chinese technology. The U.S. and EU have agreed to coordinate more closely on technology issues. China, for its part, has made technological self-reliance the key theme of its 14th 5-year plan.
Ongoing strategic competition between the U.S. and China is driving global fragmentation as both are increasingly focused on reducing interdependence and a managed decoupling of their technology sectors.
In Dr Reuben Steff’s briefing and scenarios paper The Great Disconnect__FINAL 9 Dec 2021 he outlines what decoupling is all about and introduces three possible decoupling scenarios and the potential implications for New Zealand. His scenarios are designed to encourage thinking and planning on:
- What are the potential implications for New Zealand’s technology sector, and for New Zealand more generally?
- What options or pathways could New Zealand take as this plays out?
- How should New Zealand be engaging on these international technology issues?
- What mechanisms exist or will need to be developed to ensure we retain access to key markets for our technology sector?
Watch our panel discussion here:
Our panellists will include:
- Professor David Capie – Director, Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
- Dr Reuben Steff – Senior Lecturer – International Affairs, University of Waikato
- Ainikki Riikonen – Research Associate, Technology and National Security Program, Center for a New American Security
- Stuart Wilson – CEO, Endace
- Anna Kominik – Asia Pacific Regional Director, Wisk
